Bulgaria
Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, and Bulgaria began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Bulgaria celebrated success in its bid for integration into western alliances when it became a Nato member in March 2004. However, Bulgaria signed an EU accession treaty in April 2005 and officially joined in January 2007. EU officials set tough entry requirements, reflecting their concerns about corruption and organized crime. Bulgaria must report to the EU every six months on progress in reforms to curb corruption and streamline its judiciaries — or risk losing a chunk of economic aid.
The transition to democracy and a market economy after the collapse of communism has not been easy for Bulgaria. In the first half of the 1990s, political instability and strikes wracked the country. The former communists remained a powerful influence. Although the end of the decade was more stable, there was little tangible progress with economic reform.
Under Bulgaria's former king, Simeon II, who was prime minister between 2001 and 2005, the country pressed ahead with market reforms designed to meet EU economic targets; it achieved growth, saw unemployment fall from highs of nearly 20% and brought inflation under control. Incomes and living standards, however, remain low.
Bulgaria's main parties agreed in August 2005 to form a coalition, ending weeks of post-election deadlock. The Socialist Party led by Sergei Stanishev entered into government with the liberal Movement for Simeon II (NMS). The mostly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) is also part of the coalition.
President Georgi Parvanov won a second five-year term with a landslide victory in October 2006. He beat nationalist Volen Siderov, who opposed the country's European Union entry in 2007. Bulgaria's presidents are elected to five-year terms. Although the president is head of the armed forces, the role is largely ceremonial. Legislative power is exercised by the prime minister and parliament.
Currently, there are no known threats to expatriates visitors or residents in Bulgaria and the population is generally peaceful in its political orientation. Nevertheless, organized crime groups are active in the country and sometimes settle scores with indiscriminate shootings and bomb attacks.
Organized crime and corruption are concerns of both the government and ordinary citizens. Among some state-owned companies, unscrupulous managers in league with private businesspeople have siphoned off assets--a practice that the government has been attempting to curb.
The chief security concerns to affect foreigners are street crime and corruption.
